Maine State Prison warden promoted, job listed

WARREN, Maine — The Department of Corrections on Monday posted a job listing on its Facebook page for a new prison warden at the Maine State Prison. Applicants have until Friday to apply.

Warden Rodney Bouffard, who was promoted to the position in May 2013 to replace former Warden Patricia Barnhart, has been promoted, Deputy Corrections Commissioner Jody Breton said Thursday. Barnhart was fired from the post in January 2013.

“Cindy [Brann, associate commissioner,] left to go to New York [and] Bouffard was promoted to associate commissioner,” Breton said. “He has a lot of experience with the facilities, so he’s going to the central office.”

Bouffard will remain warden for the time being.

“He’s still warden until we find someone to replace him,” Breton said. “He’ll be training his replacement.”

The prison warden job posting indicates that eligible candidates can expect to be paid between $76,232 and $104,957 annually and must have at least 12 years of experience or a combination of experience and related education.

Bouffard came to the job after serving as superintendent of the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland. He started as chief of security there in 2000.

The state prison houses 916 prisoners and has a staff of 410, according to its website.

“The prison warden is responsible for directing and overseeing the operations/security of the Maine State Prison, which is the Department of Corrections’ largest correctional institution, housing more than 900 prisoners of close, medium and special management classifications,” the job description states. “Responsibilities range from the integration of Unit Management concepts and Prisoner Treatment Programs to the overall maintenance of the physical plant within National Standards (American Correctional Association).

“Teamwork, professionalism and integrity are the foundation of the guiding principles of the Maine Department of Corrections and provide the path to our primary mission of protecting the public by providing a safe, secure and humane correctional environment for prison staff and the incarcerated offender,” it states. “The prison warden will allocate budget resources for the maximum possible effect and will develop, implement and establish the policies and procedures for correctional staff ensuring the overall safety and security of the facility.”

“We’ll be doing interviews next week,” Breton, who added that two days of her schedule have been blocked off to interview candidates, said.